Storage-battery and method qf making same



laf. HEDGBRTON. STBAGE BATTERY AND MBTEFOD 0F MAKING SAME. No. 541,081.Patented June 18,1895.

INVENFIOR charging current, for the-heavy lead oxides UNITED STATESNATHAN H. EDGERToN, or WEs'r WHITELAND, PENNSYLVANIA.

STORAGE-BATTERYfAND METHDfQF MAKING SAME..

s'PEcIFrcArIoN fsrmingpaa f Letters Patent Ne. 541, os1,.dated .rune18,1895. v Applicatimn'led February 2i, 1894. Serial No. 501,750. (Nomodel.)

To-aZZ whom# may concern:

Be it known that vI, N ATHAN H. EDGEETQN, a citizenof'the United States,residingat West Whiteland, in the county of Chester and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain-new .and useful Improvements-inSecondary or of. batteries in which the reunion 'of theevolved orpreviously engaged gases eiects or attends 'the reilow of electriccurrent, than vro'thcse in which thedevelopnient of electric energy`resnlits from the aflinity and changes in what has been vtermed. in theart active material. The object vot' this invention is-the.reduction ofweight, oy substituting to a large exstrength to resist their elasticforce in order.

tent the-use of -very light, and compressible gases evolved from the-electrolyte by the used'. inthe Brush and Faure batteries. 4To renderthis feature of the invention practicable itis requisite to have thereceptacles in which the gases'are li berated' c ,l` sufficient to.store,iand retain them; ,and the processor method by which suchreceptacles, having fluid' tight'non-conduc'ting walls, capable ofwithstanding the strain and the chemical action ofthe electrolyticiluidare made, forms an important part of this invention. Uniform action ispromoted by applying a thin in completedy form, and in separate parts incourse of construction.

Figure 1 showsa perspectire view of a singie cell otfsnchfabatteryinadeinfa cylindric.A form; Figilg, a vertical cent ral section thereof.

- Fig. A3 is au 'enlarged detached' view of the gas-receptacles; Fig. 4,a vertical sztrtion thereof; Fig. 5, a perspective view of one of theplatesor conducting septs of such battery;

Fig. 6, Q perspective view of the plate shown in Fig. 5, with anon-conducting rim vformed onit; Fi'g. 7, a number of such plates with.

frames assembled in readiness to cement together-in acase,the case beingshownin partial section. Fig. .8'shows a vertical section of amodication of the battery in 4which the gases are stored iu auxiliaryreceptacles.

` Referring to Figs.' l and 2 of the drawings,

1,-represents a. cylindric case of non-conducting material; 2,azcylindric ,conducting shell fitted therein to the bottom of the casel,

with an annnlarspace 3 between it and the case 1; 4, a smaller cylindricconducting shell also fitted to the bottornof -the case 1, withanannular space 5 between it and the shell 2. Both shells 2 and-4, areopen at the upper end. The said shellsare comppsed of any material Athathas electric 'conducti ng.properties, such `as coppersilver, tin. lead,carbon or platinized silver, the latter being preferable. Each shell 2and4 is respectively provided with an insulated electrical conductorexteudingto a .binding post- 8 or 9. The annular spaces 3 nnd, aroundand withinltho shells2 ande, 'are litted with a material susceptible otcontaining an electrolyte.l` This may be an aibsorbent or a. gelatinusmass and should be permeable' to gases. Agn aperture in the case 1,serves to introduce an electrolytic duid and Vis closed by a stopperlO.The upper part of the 4case becomes a receptacle for gases dis-'engaged-lrorfnA the electrolyte when an electric current is passed froma generator through the binding' posts 8 and 9,.c onductors 6 and v7,the shells 2,4 and electrolyte-in contact therewith. Upon'disconnectingthe binding posts from the generator and electrically con-y necting themthrough any apparatus requiring current, a reversed current isestablished, attended withta reversal of the chemical decomposition orchange that had previously beenproduced in the electrolyte.

vReltcrring to the views, Figs. 3 to 7 inclusive,

.1l represents a conducting plate prei'erablyot' l' notgsusceptibleofrapid corrosion, a

. cmmeg 'frame molded rtmngfa plastic roo on each side of the plate 1lwithin the frame I 12. Several of the frames 12, with their plates areassemhledmin close contact, and lled with an absorbent material 14,composed preferably of asbestos. ieu-aperture l5, is made through eachframe 12 by which an electro! lytic fluid preferably composed ofacidulated water may be introduced,asshown in Fig. 8; or theapertures'may be made between the frames as shown in Fig. 4. Theassembled plates ll, and frames 12, are placed in astrong box 16, andthe space around them filled with a f isible or plastic compound 17,having non-conducting properties which nements the frames together andforms an inclosing insulating case, the said compound li?A beingpreferably composed of rosin, liriseed-oil,and sulphur. Conductors areapplied to the terminal plates l1, ofthe series by which cur-4 rents'are introduced from generators and discharged for use.

The case 16 is made most conveniently of dry wood, strongly dovetailedand cemented, and screwed together, but any box of strength sufficientto retain the gases generated answers the purpose. i l,

Supplemental receptacles 1S, t'or gases mayI be connected as shown inFig. S, and when exhausted replaced by others containing fresh charges,or such fresh charge may be introduced by tubular connection with anotherwise independent source ot supply.

The chem-ical aIlinity-'ot thel gases'asdisturbed bythe changing currentof electricityv in these batteries is the source of their energy indischarging. The pulvernlent nte- A t'allic coating of the conductorsimproves the efficiency of the conducting surface.

ture; then molding and cementing the assem-I bled cells together with anenvelope of plastic cement within a retaining case and finallyintroducing a charge of electrolytic fluid intoY each cell, and sealingthe same therein, and applying conductors to the terminal plates,

lsubstantially as set forth and described.

2. In a secondary, or storage battery a se ries of cells withintervening conducting partitions and surrounding non-conducting framesmolded thereon, the said cells filled with a permeable material, chargedwith an 'electrolytic tluid,and` the terminal partitions,

having conductors connected therevidth,in combination with an envelopeof plastic non- 'conductingmaterial in an' inclosing case adapted to.retain the lgaseous elements evolved in the charging 'and dischargingOEA;

electric currents, th rough the series of cells, substantially fas setforth'.

NATHAN Il. EDGERTON.

Witnesses: y

J. DANIEL EBY; LACEY L. CADWALLADER.

